Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While: Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention

John Lovett; Shaun Bevan; Frank R. Baumgartner

doi:10.1111/psj.12087

Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While: Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention

John Lovett, Shaun Bevan, Frank R. Baumgartner

School of Social and Political Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Does the president have the ability to set the congressional agenda? Agenda setting is a prerequisite for influence, so this is an important element in understanding presidential–legislative relations. We focus on the State of the Union address and show that popular presidents can, indeed, cause Congress to shift attention to those topics most emphasized. The impact is tempered by divided government and time, however. No matter the state of divided government, however, popular presidents can direct congressional attention, at least for a little while. Unpopular presidents, by contrast, are irrelevant.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	22-43
Journal	Policy Studies Journal
Volume	43
Issue number	1
Early online date	27 Oct 2014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12087
Publication status	Published - 27 Jan 2015

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

agenda setting
presidential–congressional relations
presidential approval
divided government

Access to Document

10.1111/psj.12087

Lovett, Bevan, Baumgartner (2015) Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While_Supplemental
This is the accepted version of the following article: Lovett, J., Bevan, S., & Baumgartner, F. R. (2015). Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While: Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention. Policy Studies Journal, 43(1), 22-43, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psj.12087/full.
Accepted author manuscript, 269 KB
Lovett, Bevan, Baumgartner (2015) Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While
This is the accepted version of the following article: Lovett, J., Bevan, S., & Baumgartner, F. R. (2015). Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While: Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention. Policy Studies Journal, 43(1), 22-43, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psj.12087/full.
Accepted author manuscript, 272 KB

http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/psj.12087

1 Active

CAP: Comparative Agendas Project
Bevan, S., Baumgartner, F. R., Jones, B., Walgrave , S. & Green-Pedersen, C.
1/01/93 → …
Project: Research Collaboration with external organisation

1 Chapter
1 Article

Gone Fishing: The Creation of the Comparative Agendas Project Master Codebook
Bevan, S., 22 Mar 2019, Comparative Policy Agendas: Theory, Tools, Data. Baumgartner, F., Breunig, C. & Grossman, E. (eds.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, p. 17-34
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Open Access
File
Changing the transmission belt: The programme-to-policy link in Italy between the First and Second Republic
Carammia, M., Borghetto, E. & Bevan, S., Nov 2018, In: Rivista italiana di scienza politica. 48, 3, p. 275-288 14 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File

Shaun Bevan
- School of Social and Political Science - Personal Chair of Comparative Public Policy
Person: Academic: Research Active

Cite this

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abstract = "Does the president have the ability to set the congressional agenda? Agenda setting is a prerequisite for influence, so this is an important element in understanding presidential–legislative relations. We focus on the State of the Union address and show that popular presidents can, indeed, cause Congress to shift attention to those topics most emphasized. The impact is tempered by divided government and time, however. No matter the state of divided government, however, popular presidents can direct congressional attention, at least for a little while. Unpopular presidents, by contrast, are irrelevant.",

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Popular Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention, for a Little While: Presidents Can Affect Congressional Attention

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

CAP: Comparative Agendas Project

Research output

Gone Fishing: The Creation of the Comparative Agendas Project Master Codebook

Changing the transmission belt: The programme-to-policy link in Italy between the First and Second Republic

Profiles

Shaun Bevan

Cite this